Address-printing plates



May 17, 1955 E. osTwALDT 2,708,439

ADDRESS-PRINTING PLATES Filed July 23 1951 l- 2 Sheets-Sheet l F ig.3

May 17, 1955 E. osTwALDT 2,708,439 ADDRESS-PRINTING PLATES Filed July 25, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O ADDRESS-PRINTING PLATES Erich Ostwaldt, Berlin-Hermsdorf, Germany, assgnor to Adrema Maschinenbau G. m. b. H., Berlin, Germany Application July 23, 1951, Serial No. 238,047

Claims priority, application Sweden July 31, 1950 Claims. (Cl. 129-16.8)

This invention relates to the formation of an addressprinting plate made of zinc, aluminium, or the like, with hollow folded-over guiding ilanges on both its longitudinal sides, the wider of these two guiding anges being provided with a number of insertion slots, arranged beside one another, for tabs which are to be mounted on the plate. Previous address-printing plates of this type have the disadvantage that when they are arranged in plate cases their illegible printing sides face the front and their rear sides, with the legible inscription, the socalled reading side, face the rear. Therefore, when printing plates are being removed from the cases or arranged therein the plate cases must always be back to front, whereby trouble is caused, time is Wasted and the operators Work is made more difficult.

The present invention remedies this defect by the fact that as the main feature of the invention, in the longitudinal direction of the printing plate, in the guiding flange provided with the insertion slots, an opening is provided, disposed at a lower level than that of the printing surface, for the insertion of an indicator strip. This indicator strip, which may be made in various colours, carries the inscription or marking which identiies the printing plate, and which can now be read from the front, that is to say from the printing side. The opening will advantageously be formed very simply by the fact that the folded strip extends only over part of the width of the guiding ange.

A further feature of the invention consists in providing the folded strip, at the places where the insertion slots for the tabs are located, with stamped impressions which keep the inserted tabsv ush with the inner wall of the guiding flange. This renders it possible, if the tabs are of suitable construction and openings are disposed in the guiding flange, to introduce automatic locking of the tabs. Flat tabs with resilient tongues on their feet are known and are not the subject of the invention. They are, however, used to advantage in address-printing plates, the guiding margin of which according to the invention is constructed as a support for a sight strip.

Further features of the invention are to be seen from the following description and drawings, in which the invention is illustrated by means of a constructional example.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the reading side of an address printing plate with tabs mounted;

Figure 2 is a view of the upper edge of the printing plate, partly in section on the line Il-II in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III in Figure l;

Figure 4 shows a plan view of the printing side of the plate, with no indicator strips inserted;

Figure 5 is a section on the line V-V in Figure 4, on a larger scale;

Fig. S-a is a perspective detail view of the printing plate with an inlaid indicator strip;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a tab;

Figure 7 s a side view, with a section on the line VII-VII in Figure 6;

Figures 8 and 9 are a front and a rear View respectively of another embodiment of the guiding flange, provided with insertion slots, of an address-printing plate, with tabs inserted; and

Figure l0 is a View of a tab provided with two feet, on a larger scale.

The address-printing plate 1, consisting of zinc, aluminium, or any other material, is provided 0n its two longitudinal edges with folded-over hollow guiding margins 2 and 3, of which the lower margin for instance is narrower than the upper margin 3. The middle part of the plate 1, between the two guiding margins, in which the printing characters are impressed, is at a higher level and is connected to the guiding margins by upwardly sloping parts 1-a. The folded-over strip 4 of the upper margin 3 does not however extend, as heretofore, over the entire width of the guide margins, but leaves on the printing side of the plate a free space 5 for the insertion of an indicator strip 6.

The upper guiding margin 3 is povided, along its outer edge, with a number of insertion slots, arranged side by side, for the insertion of the foot or lower part 8 of tabs 9. In order to provide a firm hold for the'tabs inserted into the slots and to keep them in close contact with the inner surface of the guiding margin 3, the folded-over strip 4 is provided, at the places where the insertion slots are located, with stamped impressions 10, which limit the width of the insertion slots to the thickness of the tabs. Between these stamped impressions l@ elevated parts 4 are left, there being hollow spaces between the elevated parts and the guiding margin 3.

It is of essential importance that the tabs introduced into the insertion slots should be so rigidly connected to the printing plate that they cannot be detached even if they are subjected to'tension. This requirement is fulfilled, on the one hand, by providing shield-shaped holes 13, in the guiding margin 3, and on the other hand resilient tongues 14 in the feet 8 of the upper members 9. Whenthe tabs have reached their end positions in the insertion slots, the resilient tongues 14 lie opposite the holes 13 and can then spring out, thus moving into position behind the edges of the holes 13 and thereby preventing the tabs from being pulled out. If these tabs need to be removed or changed, one need only press the resilient tongues 14 inward through the holes 13, whereupon the tabs cease to be locked.

If the tabs 9 are introduced into the insertion solts in such a way that their resilient tongues 14 project towards the printing side of the plate, then in this case also automatic locking of the tabs is effected, the tongues abutting against the inner edge of the stamped impressions 10.

The indicator strip is held iirmly in the space S by two flaps 12 pressed out from the plate 1, which engage over the two ends of the indicator strip, and by tongues 11, provided on this strip, each of which can be slid into one of the hollow spaces beside the stamped impressions 10. The indicator strip 6 and the tongues 11 are indicated by dot-dash lines in Figure 4.

The address printing plates, illustrated in Figures 8 to 10, are distinguished by the feature that in those bounding edges of the insertion slots which lie in the guiding margin 3, semi-circular notches are arranged which act as supports for projections 16 provided on the feet of the tabs 9 and preferably formed by pressing out. The resilient tongues 14 provided in the feet of the tabs are so arranged in relation to the projections 16 that when these projections rest in the notches 15 the tongues 14 of the tabs, on springing out, engage behind the inner edges of the stamped impressions 10. The tongues 14 and the projections 16 are therefore directed towards opposite sides. It however the tabs are inserted into the slots 7 in a position differing from the normal one by 180, then the projections will bear against the other bounding edge of the insertion slot, and this other edge is level throughout its length, so that the tongues cannot be moved into their locking position. The operator is thereby always compelled to insert the tabs in the correct position.

With this embodiment of the printing plate it will be advisable to use tabs 9 with two feet, which are provided with two projections 16; only one of these feet need be provided with a resilient tongue 14. It is however, also possible to use tabs as shown in Figures 6 and 7. lt is advisable to provide suchY tabs with one projection 16.

In order to facilitate the removal of the indicator strip 6, according to a further feature of the invention holes 17 are arranged in the guiding margin 3, so that by introducing a rod or pinV through these holes it is possible to gain access to the indicator strip from the rear and press it out from its retaining flaps 12.

In order to ensure correct distance between the folded strip 4 and the guiding margin 3, inwardly projecting nipples or knobs 1S (Figure 9), uniformly distributed over the guiding margin, will preferably be impressed therein. This ensures correct width of the slots for the feet of the tabs. To prevent the insertion of the tabs being impeded by the indicator strip 6, several knobs or nipples 19, projecting in the direction of the indicator strip, may be impressed into the guiding margin 3 in the area where the indicator strip is to lie, and these nipples will keep the indicator strip at a sutiicient` distance from the guiding margin.

I claim:

1. ln an address-printing plate, the combination of a flat, printing-face part having hollow guide margins folded on their lengthwise sides, each of which merges, by a rising connecting bridge, with the printing-face part, one of said margins having insertion slots; tabs having feet insertable in said slots for mounting said tabs on said slotted margin, the folded portiony of said margin extending for only a part of the width of said margin and having depressions coordinated with said slots, which limit the width of said slots so that the feet of said tabs abut the inner wall of said margin, and cavities are formed laterally of said slots; an indicator strip adapted to be mounted between said folded portion and the bridge of said margin; flaps pressed out of the ends of said margin and extending above the ends of said strip; and tongues on said strip which engage between two of said depressions beneath the folded portion of said margin.

2. An address-printing plate, according to claim 1, in which said' margin has projections directed toward said indicator strip and which are so dimensioned as to hold said strip outside of the range of the feet of said tabs.

3. An address-printing plate, according to claim 1, in which said margin has openings provided for ejection of the indicator strip.

4. In an address-printing device comprising a printing plate having hollow guide margins folded-over on their lengthwise sides and a flat middle part on a higher level to bear the printing characters, said margins being connectedwithsaidmiddle part by upwardly sloping walls, one of said hollow guide margins having along its outer edge aA plurality of insertion slotsadapted to receive tabs, the folded-over portion of said slotted margin extending for only a part ofthe width of said margin; an indicator strip adapted to be mounted between the inner edge of said folded-over portion and the adjacent sloping wall, and meansl inl said, margin. for holding said strip.

5. In an address-printing device comprising a printing plate having hollow guide margins. folded-over on their lengthwise sides, each of which is connected by an upwardly sloping wall with the middle part of the plate, one of said margins having insertion slots adapted. to

; A receive tabs having feet insertable in said slots for. mount? ing said tabs on' said slotted margin, the folded-over portionV of said slotted margin extending for only a part of the width of said margin and having depressions so re.- lated to said slots as to limit the space between the walls of said margin in said slots so that the feet of said tabs abut the inner Wall. of said margin, an indicator strip adaptedv to be mounted between the inner edge of said folded-over portion and the adjacent sloping wall, and means in said margin for holding said strip.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,015,757 Duncan Ian. 23, 1912 1,026,246 Duncan May 14, 1912 1,139,509 Ferguson May 18, 1915 1,732,686 Krell Oct. 22, 1929 1,790,717 Mohler Feb. 3, 1931 2,049,437 Gollwitzer Aug. 4, 1936 2,049,439 Gollwitzer Aug. 4, 1936 2,235,376 Krell Mar. 1.8, 1941 2,438,282 Gruver Mar. 23, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS 600,566 Great Britain Apr. 13, 1948 618,115 Great Britain Feb. 16, 1949 

